Mira Costa Dance Company holds Advanced Dance performance

By Ella Trodd

Staff Writer

The 2015-2016 Advanced Dance Company consists of 17 dancers and is led by choreographer and dance teacher Yvonne Johnson. To perform in the Advanced Dance Performance you must audition, however, in  some dances the choreographer requests a dancer, or vise versa.

“The performance is to showcase our individual pieces,” senior Kailyn Hooten said. “It also gives us room for creative expression through our choice of performance.”

There were about 30 dances at the show, including Hooten’s solo “You’re the Reason I Come Home” and the senior dance. The dancers learned many different genres of dance throughout this year which were incorporated in the show.

“Dances at the show range in genre from Hip-Hop to K-Pop to classical to modern,” Johnson said. “It was very organic and I am very proud of what they presented.”

The students in the Advanced Company meet during 3rd period to practice their dances and learn new moves. Additional practices occur during office hours or after school.

“Everyone was super focused on getting their numbers done and ready for the stage,” junior Maddy Wagner said. “The show turned out amazing and we were all really excited to share all of our hard work with our friends and family.”

All of the students in the class must choreograph at least one number, however, performing at the show is not mandatory. Some dancers performed in multiple dances and others only performed in one..

“This was a great show because all the different genres we had,” Wagner said. “It was so diverse and so exciting to watch all the different pieces come together.”

During the week of the show, practice time was dedicated to only rehearsing for the show. During the week before the show, the dancers practiced from after school until 10:30 pm.

“For the future, there are a lot of seniors graduating this year so I hope they continue on with their journey through dance because I have seen them use this as an outlet,” Johnson said. “I hope they gain this through their dance ability with expression.”